Process of drying yarn.



un. 62mmV l; A. GAGE. FBDCESS UF DRYING YARN.

Ptentad July 18,1899.

'(Applicaeinn med nur. 1x,1s99.

No Model.)

1 m l 1 l A l l l 1 I l A mw z Nonm's PETERS um Pumowma, wnsnwavou. wv c.UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD A. GAGE,y or PAwrU'cIrE'r, RHODE ISLAND.

PROCESS oF-DRYING YARN.1

SPECIFICATION forming'pare or Lettersratept no. 629,318, date July 18,1899.

Application filed March l1, 1899. Serial No. '18,6.89. (N0 Specimens.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

I Be it known that I, RICHARD A. GAGE., a citizen of the UnitedStates,1residing at Pawtucket, in the county of Providence and State ofRhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inProcesses of' Yarn-Drying,of which thefollowing is a speciiication,referencebeing-had to the accompanying drawings. g

Like letters indicate likeparts.V

Figure lis a perspective viewof the apparatus which I use in my improvedprocess of yarn-drying. Fig. 2 is afsection'al view ofthc same as seenonline :c a: of Fig. V1; the yarnl' skeins and their supports, as also,the several gas-pipes, being shown `in eleyation.- 'Y

My invention relates to processes of-dryingY yarn after the same hasbeen colored by immersion in the dye-tub; and it consists in theexposure of such yarn (after the excess of moisture has been takentherefrom by pres.- sure or by the operation of an extractor) to theaction of a highly-heatedl atmosphere within an inclosed chambervwhich-is provided' with proper heating means, supports, v and 1 dampers, sothat the dyestutf is first' quickly dried to such a consistency that itycannot extend down the skein by gravity, andthen Y subjecting it toalower degree of heat-ex` needing, however, 212o Fahrenheit, in order todrive out the remaining moisture inthe form of steam and to thoroughly`dry the yarn in position.

It has been common hitherto `to dry yarn p after it has been dyedbyhanging the damp .skeins upon a bar or support vertically with! in adrying-room which is heatedby steampipes and which is provided with anexhaust; y fan to remove the steam arising fronithe dry.- i

,urated with the moisture arising from the drying yarn, the dryingprocess is necessarily impaired, because the damp yarn cannot dry -asquickly inl-a damp atmosphere as in a dry one, and therefore the steamor damp hot air vmust be taken out of the drying-room by means ofexhaust-fans or otherwise and fresh ow or gradually extend down theskein by gravity and to accumulate at and near the lower end of theskein, thus making the yarn uneven in color and more intensein shade atand near the bottom of the skein. To 4obvilate this diliculty, variousdevices have been employed-as, for, example, means to rotate the barsuponiwhich-the Vskeins are hung,

Vthus causing the yar-nto change its position gradually and regularly inthe vertical plane; `but such rotating means require the expenditure ofpower for a considerable period of time.;` I have discovered that theoperation of gravitywhich causes the downward iiow of the, dyeing liquoruponthe skeins may bearrested .and .the-fdyestuft may be dried .quicklyand evenly in its place upon the yarn and all iiowor spreading of thedyestuff may be prevented by exposing the wet yarn while hanging inskeinsvertically upon a supporting-bar to the action, within a chamber,of an intense heat-about'retOOf Fahrenheit-for a short time until thedye liquor upon the yarnskeins is dried vto such a condition that itcannot tlow at all, and then to a lessintense heat, fexceeding,jhowever, 212o Fahrenheit,

by which the drying ofthe dye liquid is more slowly continued, b utquite quickly completedand the moisture is driven oit as steam `throughsuitable dampers o r openings in said chamber. A

As the temperature of steam is 212o Fahren-- Vdrafts which are requiredto carry off the moisture evaporating from the damp skeins, it isnecessary in order to provide for the quick drying of the yarn to usesome other heating means than steam-pipes. I therefore n rE5 resort tothe combustion of carbureted hy drogen or common illuminating-gas underpressure from pipes into which common atmospheric air flows and theremingles with said gas, thus producing an intense heat, which rapidlydries out the moisture of the damp skeins as steam. Instead, however, ofusing illuminating-gas it is evident that coaloil may be used incombination with atmospheric air to obtain the blue intense flame.

In my pending application for Letters Patent for an improved apparatusfor drying yarn, Serial No.l 693,777, filed October 17,1898, and allowedFebruary 7, 1899, I have shown and described the apparatus whichembodies the best means known to me for the practice of my saidinvention. Said apparatus is described as follows:

A drying room or chamber A has a door B for entrance or exit.

C is an opening with a set of dampers d therein, operated by a knob e orotherwise.

D is 'an opening or window having a glass pane j", behind which, withinthe chamber, is kmounted a thermometer E.

A ventilator F is hinged at one side of the chamber A at the bottom andis arranged to swing outwardly. Vhen swung to lie in a verticaldirection, it closes the space g. A

cord or chain h, fastened to an eye t' of the ventilator F and securedto a nail j, holds the ventilator in an elevated position.

Skein supporters or bars G are mounted loosely on brackets k within thechamber A and extend from side to side. The yarnskeins H are suspendedon said bars G.

A gas-supply pipe I conveys common illuminating-gas (carburetedhydrogen) from the main under pressure to the apparatus. Said pipe I isconnected to a straight pipe J by an elbow-joint Z. From the pipe Jextenda number of pipes conducting gas into the chamber A. A T-pipe Kreceives the pipe .I and opens into a valve L, whose plug is operated,as usual, by the thumb piece or key M. The outer ends m and n of thetwo-way pipe P are open to the external atmosphere. A gasjet pipe Q isconnected at one end with the pipe P, and its inner or opposite end isclosed by the cap o. The pipe Q is supported at its inner end by a postor standard R from the oor of the chamber A. The pipe Q has a number ofsmall openings near each other, through which the mingled air and gaspasses in jets and is there ignited.

In Fig. 2 the dotted line s indicates a wire or slatted screen restingupon brackets t, which is useful for the drying of raw stock.

The yarn-skeins which have been immersed in the dye liquor and subjectedto a squeezing or extracting process to remove the excess of moistureare hung in their wet condition upon the beams or supports Gr in thedry- `ing-chamber A,furnished with my apparatus. As soon as the gas-jetsare lighted the openings B, C, d, and F of the chamber A are closed..The burning mingled gas and air rapidly carry up the temperature withinthe closed chamber to the desired degree,fpref erably about 1:00cFahrenheit, and fills said chamber with carbon dioxid (or carbonioanhydrid.) The 'affinity of water and carbon dioxid greatly facilitatesthe drying process.` TWhen the heat has risen to 212O Fahrenheit, thewater passes from the yarnskeins in the form of steam and rises to theupper portions of the chamber. The heat still continuing to increase ata rapid rate first causes the dye liquor to dry in situ upon the yarn byex tracting the moisture therefrom and so prevents it from flowing bygravity down the skein. It is desirableV to reach this stage of theprocess as soon as possible, and therefore the chamber should remainclosed until this time. Then, as it is important not to subject the yarnany longer to such very intense heat, the dampers d at the top of thechamber are opened, and so the steam accumulated in the top of thechamber c escapes therefrom. Air is admitted through the lowerventilator F into the chamber a from without; but as it passes to thegas-dame before reaching the yarn-skeins said new'air is heated beforeacting upon them. By these means the temperature of the chamber isconsiderably reduced, preferably to about 30C)o Fahrenheit, or, ifdesired, to any other degree exceeding 212 Fahrenheit, and the yarnthereafter is more moderately dried, the moisture passing off in theform of steam. As soon as the yarn has become thoroughly dried (whichmay be determined by any suitable hygrometer within the chamber or byfeeling or after some experience by the attendant in working thisprocess by his own j udgment, based upon the lapse of time) the yarn isremoved from the chamber and a new quantity is put in to be dried.oughly dried in about fifteen minutes and will be uniform in color andshade.

In yarn-drying as heretofore practiced the yarn has always been exposedto atmospheric air either in an inclosed room or chamber articiallyheated or in a room or chamber in which atmospheric air at its normaltemperature circulates in currents or drafts produced by the naturalmovement of the air through suitable openings in the walls of the roomorA chamber or by fans or other mechanical means. My improved process ofyarn-drying herein described differs from all previous processes,because the atmosphere to which the yarn is exposed for drying isheavily charged with carbon dioxid, as well as intensely heated, and sois peculiarly adapted to extract and absorb the water from the wetskeins.

It is new in the art of yarn-drying to subject the yarn to a heatexceeding the temperature of steam heat either for the purpose ofarresting the 'downward flow of the dye liquor upon the yarn or for anyother purpose, and it is also new to vary the intensity of the heatwithin the drying-chamber, whereby the yarn is first and for a shorttime exposed to a very In this manner yarn can be thor- IOO IIO

intense heat in order to thicken the dye liquor and to arrest thedownward ow of the dye liquor, as above lset forth, and then to a less vintense heat for the more moderate drying of the yarn at a temperatureexceeding that of steam.

I claim as a novel and useful invention andA desire to secure by LettersPatentl. The improved process ofyarn-drying herein described consistingin the exposure of the yarn, when damp, to the direct action5 Withinachamber, of an intensely-heated at- Y inosphere charged with carbondioxid for a period of time sufdcient to arrest the downward ow 0 thedye liquor upon the yarn and then reducing the temperature within saidchamber to a degree somewhat exceeding that of steam, thereby moremoderately to complete heat,.within a chamber, suficient to arrest thedownward low of the dye liquor upon the yarn and after said flow hasbeen thus arrested, in reducing the temperature of said chamber'suiiiciently to moderately complete the drying ofthe yarn,substantially as specied.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature 3o in presence of twowitnesses.

e RICHARD A. GAGE.

` Witnesses:

GEORGE FARNELL, f WARREN R. PERGR.

